Early this summer, in one of the periodic manifestations of the herd mentality for which this citys pundit class is known, official Washington decided that corruption didnt matter. The main piece of evidence for this conclusion was the special election in June to replace Randy Duke Cunningham, the California Republican congressman who months earlier had […]
Zachary Roth
Posted inPolitical Animal, Politics
NUCLEAR WASTE
NUCLEAR WASTE…The Washington Post reported over the weekend that plans for a new nuclear weapons program will continue, despite the finding that existing stockpiles will remain reliable for almost the next century. One of the reasons that the program–known as the Reliable Replacement Warhead program–looks set to move ahead, even though it doesn’t actually appear […]
Posted inPolitical Animal, Politics
REBELLION AT THE EPA
REBELLION AT THE EPA…This seems like kind of a big deal. From a news release put out by Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility: In an unprecedented action, representatives for more than 10,000 U.S. Environmental Protection Agency scientists are calling on Congress to take immediate action against global warming, according to a petition released today by […]
Posted inPolitical Animal, Politics
VOTING WITH GOD
VOTING WITH GOD…As we get around to fixing our still-broken voting system, here’s another aspect of the problem that perhaps hasn’t gotten the attention it deserves. According to a lawsuit filed today by the Appignani Humanist Legal Center: “An Illinois member [of the American Humanist Association] voted in a church that displayed a four-foot wooden […]
Posted inPolitical Animal, Politics
MISSION CREEP
MISSION CREEP…Is it just me, or did Bush just ratchet back up our ambitions for Iraq? According to the Associated Press, “The United States will not withdraw its forces from Iraq before its mission of building a stable democracy is complete, President Bush said Tuesday.” It seemed like in recent months, administration officials had bowed […]
Posted inMagazine
The Establishmentarian
In May, the Milken Family Foundation, a nonprofit education organization, held a reception on Capitol Hill to honor supporters in Congress. Teachers and education administrators from around the countryexcited at getting to play at being bigshots for the daystood drinking warm white wine and talking mainly to the people they had arrived with, waiting for […]
Posted inMagazine
Meet the New Boss
One of the Senates quirkier traditions was inaugurated in the late 1990s by then-Majority Leader Trent Lott (R-Miss.). On certain summer Thursdays, Lott decreed, members should leave their customary dark blue and gray suits at home and, as a tribute to southern fashion, instead conduct the peoples business in pale blue seersucker. Sen. Bill Frist […]
Posted inPolitical Animal, Politics
SO OKAY ITS FRIDAY AFTERNOON AND THIS IS SORT OF FUNNY… Top NYT political reporter Adam Nagourney gives us a tantalizing taste of what he likes to do for fun, with this piece on DC for the NYT’s Escapes section. Ever wondered what Nagourney thinks about the 9:30 Club? He loves it! Although its in […]
Posted inPolitical Animal, Politics
NOT SO FAST… Via Kevin, Ezra Klein argues today that Hillary should set her sights on the Senate Democratic leadership job instead of the presidency. Her ability to get press attention, her fundraising prowess, and her demonstrated skill at reaching out to opponents, Ezra says, would make her a “superlative Senate leader.” I have no […]
Posted inPolitical Animal, Politics
THE IMPEACHMENT PLOY…Over the last few months, we’ve seen a number of signs that Republicans and their supporters are getting increasingly desperate over their prospects for November: pushing a flag-burning amendment, demagoguing on immigration, vilifying gays, etc. This morning brought the latest indication: In National Review online, Byron York uses a recent report by Democratic […]
